Chelsea travel to Hull City on Saturday, 1 October, as Antonio Conte's men look to get themselves back on track following three games without a win in the league. The Blues have drawn with Swansea City and lost to both Liverpool and Arsenal, which has led to a lot of flak from the media and fans alike.

Where to Watch

Kick-off is set for 3pm BST. Radio commentary of the game will be available on BBC Radio 5 live. Catch the highlights of the game will be on Match of the Day on BBC One and BBC One HD from 10:25pm BST.

Overview

Hull started the season in brilliant fashion, taking six points from their opening two games but have been brought back to earth in their last four fixtures where they were pitted against the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool, losing all the said games. The game against a Chelsea side, desperate to prove a point, may not be the best game to get back to winning ways but manager Mike Phelan will hope to do better and keep 10 men on the pitch, having had a man sent off in each of the last two fixtures.

Hull's Ahmed Elmohamady will be suspended from the fixture owing to the red card he received last weekend against the Reds, while the likes of Forwards Will Keane and Dieumerci Mbokani will be looking for their first start in the Premier League after moving in the summer. History is not on their side, having won only four games against the Blues in 44 clashes thus far.

Meanwhile, Chelsea will hope for a much better performance than the one against Arsenal at the Emirates, where they were torn apart by the Gunners in the first half and were lucky to have conceded only three goals. John Terry's absence at the back means that Antonio Conte has to persist with David Luiz and Gary Cahill, who have to step up their game by leaps and bounds if they have to get the better of Hull.

Antonio Conte
Antonio Conte is reportedly keen to overhaul his Chelsea squad Getty Images

Cesc Fabregas is unlikely to make the starting line-up after an insipid performance, with Oscar coming back into the side. The Blues are unbeaten in their last eight games against the Tigers and will be confident of their chances going into the fixture.

What Managers Say

Mike Phelan: "In order to get better and improve, you have to accept the challenges that are there. Nobody wants to lose a football match but we all know somebody has to lose for someone to win. It's the way you lose that's important. I've stressed that to the players. I keep mentioning this word 'competitive' and I think we are getting to that point now where the players understand how we want to play and what we're about. We have to show our own identity in certain situations and gather some momentum.

Antonio Conte: "It is never good when you lose, but I think also in these two games we saw and learnt a lot of important things. We must work very hard to recover. We finished 10th last season - when you finish 10th it means you have problems. Now we are trying to solve this situation, but we haven't got a magic wand. We faced two teams who were very strong and for me, these two teams are now at the top. We have a lot to improve, but this is the hope we must have. I see the present and the opportunity to improve, it's not easy. But we know this."

Betting Odds (betfair)

  • Hull City win: 13/2
  • Draw: 18/5
  • Chelsea Win: 1/2

Team News

Hull City

Possible XI: Jakupovic; Robertson, Livermore, Davies, Mason; Huddlestone, Clucas, Keane; Snodgrass, Hernandez, Diomande.

Chelsea

Possible XI: Courtois; Azpilicueta, Luiz, Cahill, Alonso; Kante, Matic; Willian, Oscar, Harazd; Costa.

Chelsea FC Hull City FC Premier League